A man in Texas will face the death penalty for killing a young mother, officials say.
Valerian “Will” O’Steen, who is 28 years old, was found guilty of murdering Marissa Grimes in 2022. The jury decided on the death sentence on Monday, September 22.
Marissa Grimes, a 26-year-old mother, disappeared in February 2022. Sadly, her body was later found hidden in the crawl space of O’Steen’s house in Fort Worth, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office.
Prosecutors explained that O’Steen had a history of being abusive towards Grimes. They said he had even threatened to kill her and wouldn’t let her leave his house before her death. She managed to send a text to her mother, which led to the police getting involved.
After being arrested and charged with domestic violence, O’Steen was ordered to wear a GPS tracker and stay away from Grimes.
However, prosecutors said that he was angry about the tracker and wanted it removed. They stated that he told people he was going to kill Grimes.
Although Grimes’ family encouraged her to move away, she and O’Steen started talking and seeing each other again, according to prosecutors.
On the night she was supposed to move, February 12, 2022, she stopped by to say goodbye to O’Steen. Prosecutors said that this goodbye turned into an evening where O’Steen threatened Grimes with a gun in front of a neighbor. Tragically, that was the last time anyone saw Grimes alive.
Her U-Haul truck was found abandoned on February 21, about a mile from O’Steen’s home.
The next day, authorities discovered Grimes’ body wrapped in a blanket and tarp in the crawl space of the house. Prosecutors said that O’Steen had beaten and tortured her to death, causing multiple injuries, including a broken arm, ribs, and nose.
